Raspberry Pi 4 offers true Gigabit Ethernet and 4K video for $35

Raspberry Pi has launched Raspberry Pi 4 and it is now on sale, starting at $35. This is a comprehensive upgrade, touching almost every element of the platform. For the first time they provide a PC-like level of performance for most users, while retaining the interfacing capabilities and hackability of the classic Raspberry Pi line.

The new Raspberry Pi 4 B has a much more powerful Broadcom BCM2711 quad-core Cortex-A72 processor clocked at up to 1.5 GHz, 1 to 4GB LPDDR4, 4K H.265 video decoding and output support, a proper Gigabit Ethernet port, as well as USB 3.0 and 2.0 ports. Raspberry Pi 4 comes with all those extra features, but the form factor remains the same, and importantly the price is still $35 for the version with 1GB RAM.

In this version of Raspberry Pi there’s a separate Gigabit Ethernet transceiver (BCM54213PE), and USB goes through a VIA VL805 PCIe to 4-port USB 3.0 host controller so the bandwidth is no more shared with USB + Ethernet. They also moved from USB micro-B to USB-C for the power connector. This supports an extra 500mA of current, ensuring it has a full 1.2A for downstream USB devices, even under heavy CPU load.

Wireless Support

Wireless support is provided in an RF shielded module by the same Cypress CYW43455 chip as we saw on the Raspberry Pi 3, Model B+. Offering dual-band 2.4GHz and 5GHz IEEE 802.11.b/g/n/ac wireless networking, as well as Bluetooth 5.0 and Bluetooth LE.

New Raspbian software

According to the Raspberry Pi website:

To support Raspberry Pi 4, we are shipping a radically overhauled operating system, based on the forthcoming Debian 10 Buster release. This brings numerous behind-the-scenes technical improvements, along with an extensively modernised user interface, and updated applications including the Chromium 74 web browser. Simon will take an in-depth look at the changes in tomorrow’s blog post, but for now, here’s a screenshot of it in action.

Some advice for those who are keen to get going with Raspbian Buster right away: we strongly recommend you download a new image, rather than upgrading an existing card. This ensures that you’re starting with a clean, working Buster system. If you really, really want to try upgrading, make a backup first.

Raspberry Pi 4 Model B

Here are the highlights:

• A 1.5GHz quad-core 64-bit ARM Cortex-A72 CPU (~3× performance)
• 1GB, 2GB, or 4GB of LPDDR4 SDRAM
• Full-throughput Gigabit Ethernet
• Dual-band 802.11ac wireless networking
• Bluetooth 5.0
• Two USB 3.0 and two USB 2.0 ports
• Dual monitor support, at resolutions up to 4K
• VideoCore VI graphics, supporting OpenGL ES 3.x
• 4Kp60 hardware decode of HEVC video
• Complete compatibility with earlier Raspberry Pi products

Raspberry Pi 4 specifications:

• SoC – Broadcom BCM2711 quad-core Cortex-A72 (ARMv8) @  1.5GHz with VideoCore VI GPU supporting OpenGL ES 3.0 graphics
• System Memory – 1GB, 2GB or 4GB LPDDR4
• Storage – microSD card slot
• Video Output  & Display I/F
  • 2x micro HDMI ports up to 4Kp60 (Currently 1080p60 max. in dual-display configuration, although 2x 4Kp30 is being worked on)
    
  • 3.5mm AV port with composite video (and stereo audio)
  • 2-lane MIPI DSI display port
• Video
  • Decode – H.265 up to 4Kp60, H.264 up to 1080p60
  • Encode – H.264 up to 1080p30
• Camera – 2-lane MIPI CSI camera port
• Audio – Stereo audio via AV port, digital audio via HDMI ports
• Connectivity
  • True Gigabit Ethernet (RJ45)
  • Dual band (2.4 GHz/5.0 GHz) 802.11b/g/n/ac WiFi 5
  • Bluetooth 5.0 BLE
• USB – 2x USB 3.0 ports, 2x USB 2.0 ports.
• Expansion – Standard 40-pin GPIO header fully backward-compatible with previous Raspberry Pi boards
• Power Supply
  • 5V DC via USB-C connector (minimum 3A )
  • 5V DC via GPIO header (minimum 3A )
  • Power over Ethernet (PoE) via optional PoE HAT
• Dimensions – 85 x 56 mm (same as other model B boards)
• Temperature Range – 0 – 50°C

Raspberry Pi 4 model B with 1GB RAM sells for the same $35 as the previous model, with the 2GB and 4GB RAM models are coming soon for respectively $45 and $55 with local variations due to taxes, shipping cost, and currency exchange.

• Want to see how the new board performs. Check out the benchmarks here.
• Raspberry Pi 4 – A Look Under the Hood and How to Make most of it

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